A THIRD WAY

I haven't tried to comment on the January drug forum until now because what
I had to say about the harmful and addictive drug nicotine seemed to be
falling on unwilling ears. And I hoped that the Supreme Court tobacco
decision (The New Mexican, March 22) would confirm that the FDA (the Food
and Drug Admin.) could at least keep cigarettes out of the hands of
children.

But no, they decided that cigarettes are too dangerous to be controlled by
the FDA. And the Drug Enforcement Agency (the DEA) is only entrusted with
controlling Controlled Substances (illegal drugs).

So there's no one - no agency, no individual - who has the responsibility
for designing a comprehensive drug-control plan that takes in both
controlled substances and alcohol and cigarettes.

So the Supreme Court handed the cigarette problem back to Congress. And
Congress will be swayed either by their biggest campaign contributors, or
by what we have to say. And every partisan in the War on Drugs has given us
two choices, "war on drugs" or "legalization."

The drug warriors are adamant that all drug use be prohibited and
prosecuted at every level of exchange. Except of course, for harmful and
addictive alcohol and cigarettes and the drug dealers who deal in those
legal drugs. (Cigarettes alone account for about 2,000 deaths in New Mexico
annually and $244,890,000 for medical costs.)

On the other side, the legalizers want all of the presently illegal drugs
to be as freely available as alcohol and cigarettes. What do we want, the
frying pan or the fire? Luckily, there is a solution that both sides fear:
real comprehensive drug control by licensing - at every level of drug
transaction: from grower and manufacturer to wholesaler to drug store to -
especially - consumer. The quickest way to get the details is to go on the
Internet @ http://drugcontrol.org/html/licensing.html

Gene Goodman
secretary
Common Sense Americans for Comprehensive Drug Control by Licensing
Santa Fe